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Early Era: The Age of Ascendancy
After the extinction of the Ur, the populations of Known Space were in varied states of chaos and anarchy. Some grew fearful, after all, the Ur were their spiritual pantheon woven into the very fabric of their culture. Others were anxious and desperate, eager to take advantage of the Ur's absence but cautious that the Ur may someday return. There was one group, however, that was entirely united across both planets and species: The Ascendancy. The Ascendancy, the psychic loyalists to the Mandate, were desperate to retain their power. Unrest had previously been kept in check by the dominance of the Ur and the Ascendancy's '''Concordat '''felt unprepared to enforce the will of the Mandate. Nevertheless, the Ascendancy took swift action to retain what control they could. In the year following the Ur's sudden extinction, the Ascendancy fleet exerted control over the worlds of Known Space and assured the populace that it was in firm control. What followed was a brutal decade of civilian repression as the Ascendancy leveraged their archeotech against the local populations. Soon, some Lesser Beings became willing to serve and pledged themselves to the Ascendancy's banner and acted as their enforcers and armies. The Age of Ascendancy is a dark time in the history of Known Space. Violent repression was the norm as the Concordat soon began to whip the local populations into subservience. The aloof yet consistent rule of the Ur had been replaced by brutal exploitation and lust for material resources. Under the Concordat's orders, society began to learn the scientific knowledge denied them by the Ur. This was done to create a more useful population capable of industrial production and vast resource exploitation. The grandiose yet primitive temple-cities of the Ancient Era gave way to ugly blocks of churning industrial machinery, sludge pools and dingy warrens. Factories began to birth crude but serviceable tech for the Lesser Beings to use in service of the Ascendancy. These tools, in turn, created more refined tools and thus the slow march of technological progress began. Soon, locally produced spaceships were fitted with the first FTL modules of Ur design. Stations began to dot the night skies of Known Space, moons began to be mined and stellar terrain charted. All was measured by its value, its resources, or its strategic importance. Exploitation began in earnest. Nothing was overlooked. The Concordat began to learn more as their rule became absolute. They discovered that the previously galaxy-spanning warpgate network had been shattered. Now only a handful remained operational and of those gates that still functioned there would be no ability to repair them should they become damaged. The Ascendancy realized quickly the dire importance of the warpgates and soon established permanent stations and flotillas around each one, eager to preserve them from harm. The greed of the Ascendancy drove it ever outward. The nearest star systems to Known Space were claimed, charted, and quickly exploited. Backward natives were brought to heel and old Ur treasures were greedily claimed. However, as each new system came under Ascendancy control, so too did their fleets grow sparser and their supply lines thinner. The newfound colonies established to feed the Ascendancy resources began to rebel, first through labor strikes and eventually in colony wide revolts. The Ascendancy was beginning to buckle under its own weight. The unpopularity of their brutality was, after a century and a half, finally reaching a breaking point with the populations of Known Space. The overthrow of the Ascendancy systems began to happen gradually, usually on distant colonies or resource stations. As each rebellion grew, the Ascendancy would send its fleet to quash the rebels, only to receive reports of new rebellions twice the size on interior systems. Bled by a thousand cuts, the Concordat began to use increasingly desperate measures to retain control. The first AI's were developed for use in war and robots of all kinds were leveraged against the rebellions. Geno-soldiers were also a popular choice as shock troopers for the Ascendancy was beginning to suffer severe manpower shortfalls as the rebellion progressed. Yet, despite all of their frenzied innovations, the Concordat was slowly losing its battle for control. The fleet of the Ascendancy was soon beaten back to a single star system. No longer capable of projecting military force, they instead fought desperate rearguard actions as the shipyards of liberated worlds began to churn out crude but effective warships by the hundreds. What followed was the Ascendancy War, a decade long conflict which included the use of biogenic plagues, AI's deathmachines, and many other technological horrors Known Space had never before encountered. Billions died across many different worlds as the scope of the conflict shifted from strategic conflict to total war. The Concordat made it clear: they would sooner kill everyone in Known Space than to see it governed by Lesser Beings. The Ascendancy War would eventually come to a bloody end. The Ascendancy fought for as long as it could on its capital world before finally succumbing to rebel attack. In bitter defiance, the Concordat killed themselves via a stockpile of WMDs within the capital, no doubt eager to avoid disgrace at the hands of the Lesser Beings. The Ascendancy's armies and loyalists gradually succumbed to defeat in turn. Some Ascendant holdouts negotiated hasty surrenders while others clung bitterly to their territory and fought to the last man. The conflict reached its inevitable end and the now-victorious free systems of Known Space formally prohibited the Mandate faith and began a new era of stellar politics: The Age of Confederation Category:History Category:Early Era